Saturday, January 17, 2009

Anchor Friday - Commitment vs. Surrender



Click above to read Joan's post. She's using some Proverbs this week to help her to press on in her weigh-loss journey. Wisdom - that's what we need to help us make the right choices!

I would like to talk today about the idea of commitment versus surrender. I've been reading Nancy Leigh DeMoss's Trilogy - Brokenness/Surrender/Holiness - and it's so good. She mentioned something that I'd never thought about before. She said that in our country, the idea of "surrender" to the Lord at some point started to get sort of unpopular, and in the church people wanted something more palatable, and came up with the idea of committing yourself to God instead.


If we say we commit ourselves to the Lord, it still sort of leaves us with the feeling that we are in control. We are the one who controls our own commitment level, intensity, etc. But the idea of surrender is different. When we surrender ourselves to the Lord, we are saying, "I belong to YOU, Lord! I am not my own. I am your bondslave. I give up all my rights, and I submit myself to YOUR authority to do as You will in my life."

I think that is a very important distinction to make in our relationship with Christ. Are you committed to the Lord? Or do you surrender yourself to Him? Your life, your heart, your mind, your thoughts, your words, your choices, your desires, your behavior.

Surrendering to the Lord is like giving God $1,000. You can give it to Him all at once, and lay that $1,000 bill on the table and say, "There! I give this to you Lord!" It's a one-time surrender. Or, you can give Him a little everyday. 25 cents here, 50 cents there. $2.00 here, $10.00 there.

Which is easier? Which is better?? The kind of surrender God is commanding us is a daily surrender of our choices in life. Today, you may need to surrender by not saying that nagging word to your husband. Tomorrow, there may be a single mom who needs gas money to get to church. Next week, you may need to stay off the computer, and spend some time in God's Word!

Whatever it is, think of your relationship to Christ as one in which He is the Master, and you are the bondslave. And when you do His bidding, He has nothing but blessing, love, comfort and peace to pour out on you!

What area of your life do you need to surrender to the Lord? If you say, "My eating and exercise habits" then, my question is more specific to you, "What area of your eating and exercise habits do you need to surrender to the Lord?" Do you need to surrender to God by asking your friend to be your accountability partner, even though you do not relish the thought of allowing someone into that area of your life? Or, the next time you get into an argument with your husband, do you need to surrender yourself to the Lord instead of running to the refrigerator?

Whatever it is, think really hard about it. Take some time to write it down. Blog about it. Ask someone to help you. And when that situation comes up, STOP, and say, "I am Yours, Lord! I give myself to You in this moment. I have no right to go and do what my flesh wants to do! I will do YOUR will, no matter what it costs me."

That is surrender. Don't make "commitments" to God. Surrender to Him. Offer your body and mind to Him. Day by day, moment by moment. Surrender to Him, and get ready to experience His blessing!

~Claudia

5 comments:

TreasuringChrist said...

Ok, let me be open and honest with you. As I sat there and typed that post, I was eating some low-calorie pudding...no problem. But, I had decided to add some chocolate chips to them (hey, they were dark chocolate, ok!) and I ate it. And enjoyed it. But then, I guess I ate it a little too quickly, and I REALLY wanted some more. I mean, I REALLY wanted some more. And as we speak, I could still get up and get some! But, I am going to read my post again, and lay down my 50 cents right now, and give my self to the Lord, because I know I don't NEED those extra calories tonight. I thank the Lord for the food I ate today, and the fact that I did not go hungry, and I will leave it at that.

Thank you, Father!!

Joan said...

Claudia,
Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing that. It is much easier to control our committment, but surrender is much harder. Thy will me done, not my own. Food for thought!

Blessings

TreasuringChrist said...

Joan,

I am glad I at least gave you something to think about : ) Hopefully something good to stimulate your thinking toward Christ!

~Claudia

MJ said...

Great post....and I think it is great you shared your struggles.

TreasuringChrist said...

Thanks, MJ! It's not so bad sharing my struggles when nobody knows me ; ) Sharing with Natasha is another thing, of course. Because we are good friends and it's pretty uncomfortable to be vulnerable.